Three Kingdoms: I, Ma Su, just want to die

Chapter 695: Swearing by Luoshui

Xiahou Ba showed an indifferent expression to Ma Su's trickery, but Ma Su could still tell from his slightly trembling hands that he was very concerned.

Xiahou Ba is a member of the Cao family...

"Now you should also know that the person in power in the pseudo-Wei is Sima Shi. And I think you should be familiar with this person. What impression does he give you?"

"His ability is reliable." Xiahou Ba narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly.

"But loyalty doesn't seem to be as reliable as ability, right?" Ma Su smiled slightly, stared at Xiahou Ba and spoke slowly.

"Since Sima Yi's death, Sima Shi surrendered to us once. I rejected him at that time, so he turned around and ran back to Yecheng, and then launched a coup."

"You know who Cao Shuang is. He even resisted Sima Shi until the last moment. And Xiahou Xuan is just a scholar, and he is still resisting."

"Do you prefer to believe that Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan are traitors, and think that Sima Shi is reliable?"

Ma Su's words touched Xiahou Ba's heart. At least for now, Xiahou Ba was confused about the situation of Cao Wei.

Cao Shuang and Xiahou Ba, who were supposed to be loyal ministers, fought desperately to protect themselves, while Sima Shi supported the emperor to suppress the rebellious ministers. As a member of the Cao family clan, he always felt that something was wrong, but because he did not have much information, he did not know the specific situation.

"Sima Shi is not a loyal minister of Wei at all. He just intends to rely on the manpower of Hebei to protect his family." Ma Su shrugged lightly and said calmly.

"All members of the Cao family of the pseudo-Wei are now puppets. The only one who is not a puppet is Xiahou Xuan, who is still resisting. If there is no external help, he will not be able to resist for long."

"By then, the Cao family will only be a puppet, or even a victim to take the blame."

"Don't forget, Sima Shi dug up the Yellow River's levee and flooded Qingzhou. Who do you think was the one who bore the brunt of the infamy?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiahou Ba's face turned pale. He also knew the final result.

"How do I know that Sima Shi thinks this way? On the contrary, after Sima Shi is killed, aren't you the ones who benefit the most?" However, Xiahou Ba did not change his mind because of Ma Su's words. He was silent for a moment and then asked.

"With Sima Shi's ability, if he takes charge of Hebei, there is still hope that he can resist the offensive of the Han army. If the civil strife continues, wouldn't that be a great gift to you?"

"Do you really think there is still hope for your Cao Wei regime?" Ma Su looked at Xiahou Ba with sharp eyes and said slowly.

After hearing this, Xiahou Ba was speechless and didn't even dare to look at Ma Su.

Ma Su was right. Even Xiahou Ba could see that Cao Wei's hope of a comeback was basically zero. Even if Sima Shi took power, he could only hold on for a little longer.

"The Cao clan is just a puppet in Sima Shi's hands. I don't think he likes your clansmen very much." Ma Su nodded, then his expression straightened and he said seriously.

"But our Han Dynasty is different. Even if we have been fighting with your Wei army for more than ten years, the emperor will still treat the Cao clan well in the end. The seat next to your majesty is reserved for Cao Fang, and he will still be a marquis."

"General Xiahou, don't you understand what the specific choice should be?"

Ma Su's words finally convinced Xiahou Ba. After a long silence, the emperor's uncle spoke.

"what's your plan?"

"Xiahou Xuan is still resisting in Qinghe County, and he still has more than 10,000 remnants of his army. I will march south to attack Wu at the beginning of next year, and at the latest in the autumn of next year, I will march north."

Ma Su said slowly to Xiahou Ba,

"Go support Xiahou Xuan and hold off Sima Shi until my attack on Wu is over! If you can, all members of the Cao clan will be exempted!" At this point in the war, Ji Han was no longer so obsessed with the matter of liquidation. Basically, except for Sun Quan, even the Sun family of Eastern Wu could be exempted.

Everything is done for the purpose of achieving a quick victory and minimizing losses.

"One year? No problem." Xiahou Ba hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ma Su and said,
"I can listen to you, but I need your commitment."

"Of course, I promise..."

"I swear by the Luo River!" Xiahou Ba stared at Ma Su and said.

If Sima Yi came to swear by Luo River, Xiahou Ba might not believe it now. But if it was Ma Su, Xiahou Ba felt that it was still worthy of trust.

Moreover, Ma Su was a great general of the Han Dynasty and a disciple of Zhuge Liang. If he swore to express his position, Liu Chan would naturally not offend Ma Su.

Now Xiahou Ba only wants to protect his own clan, nothing more.

"I, Ma Su, swear by the Luo River that if the Cao family surrenders as a whole country, I will never harm the Cao family clan!" Ma Su did not act pretentiously. He stood up and swore in public, pointing to the Luo River outside Luoyang.

Anyway, he had no intention of taking action against the Cao family clan from the beginning, so he just used his own reputation to speak for Luoshui.

Only after Ma Su swore by pointing to the Luo River did Xiahou Ba nod heavily.

"In this case, I, Xiahou Ba, am willing to go to Hebei alone and persuade the Cao Wei court to surrender!"

…………

…………

…………

Ma Su persuaded Xiahou Ba to return to Cao Wei as a member of the royal family, and he also had a plan to follow.

At present, Cao Shuang, the last hawk in the Cao clan, is dead. The remaining Cao Yu and Xiahou Xuan both have the idea of ​​surrendering and no longer have much intention of resisting.

In other words, the Cao Wei royal family should now stand on Ji Han's side to fight against Sima Shi.

At this point, they were only a step away from surrender. And sending Xiahou Ba back was just to give him the final push.

As for the oath, it was just a matter of course. After all, since Liu Chan removed a vacant position next to him, the entire Ji Han had reached a consensus.

Except for Sun Quan, all other relatives of the Cao and Sun families can be pardoned. In order to win people's hearts, it is even possible to treat them well.

As long as he could bring the Cao family over and give Sima Shi a hard time, Ma Su was very happy to make this oath.

After persuading Xiahou Ba to go north to continue to contain Sima Shi and complete the layout in Hebei, Ma Su turned his attention back to the south.

First south and then north was the strategic goal set by Ji Han from the beginning. At this moment, Ma Su also officially set the final moment to attack Wu.

Next year, that is, the spring of the twenty-fourth year of Jianxing!
"Sun Quan, oh Sun Quan, you have been allowed to survive for nearly three years." Ma Su narrowed his eyes, looked towards the south with a deep gaze, and muttered to himself leisurely.

"Now that we have enough land for farming in Lianghuai, I am ready. I wonder if you, Sun Shiwan, are ready?"

(End of this chapter)